From Big Time Rush to Puget Sound: Stephen Kramer Glickman Enraptures with his Comedy and Music
By Frannie Edwards-Hughes and Chloe Qaqundah
On Oct. 4, Stephen Kramer Glickman, known for his role in “Big Time Rush” and his work as a comedian and musician, took the stage at the University of Puget Sound. Glickman delivered a performance that had both students and parents laughing and singing along. The show, which featured a mix of cover songs and comedy, showcased Glickman’s impressive musical and comedic talent. Performing for an intimate audience of around 70 people at Schneebeck Concert Hall, Glickman sang hits like “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan and throwback songs from his Big Time Rush career. The audience was captivated throughout the show. Nora Hess, a first-year student, remarked, “People were singing along and having a good time and engaging. I think it was generally well received, especially from people who were fans.” Hess continued, “He told some stories that were really interesting. About how he got stoned with Snoop Dog and thought he was going to die.” Glickman’s show was interactive, encouraging the audience to sing along and making jokes at their expense. However, it seemed the most well-liked part was the musical performance Glickman gave. Hess enthused, “Overall the actual performance? Chills. I would give it a nine out of ten.”
In the following interview with Glickman The Trail digs deeper into the creative process behind his performance and what drives his passion for his craft. (Note: The following interview has been edited for readability and clarity while preserving Glickman’s words and meaning.)
Q: When did you first get into music and performance?
A: “I think two or three years old. They sat me in front of a piano, and my grandmother started teaching me the basic stuff. Singing and entertaining were just the things that happened in my family. When we’d have dinner parties and stuff like that … I’m from Canada, so in Canada, we would have these little dinner parties at my grandparent’s house or my aunt’s house and after dinner, everyone would get up and perform a song for everyone else. My grandmother was a great singer. She would play the piano and sing for everyone, same with my aunts and uncles, they would sing something too. That kind of turned into me wanting to do that too. When you have people who are encouraging performance, you just start trying to find it in other ways. I started doing theater very young. In the second grade, I think it was my first musical, and I did musical theater for years until I graduated high school. I wanted to be an actor on TV. Theatre was a way into the thing that I wanted to end up becoming.”
Q: Was there a career you ever envisioned for yourself outside of being a performer?
A: “I’ve always wanted to be in some form of entertainment, whether that was theater or television or film or voiceover or writing or just performing, I love all of that stuff. There was never another career path. It was always just like, how do I get to Hollywood? If I could have packed all my stuff into a sack and just hopped on a train with a bunch of circus performers, I probably would have done that.”
Q: What inspires you to create?
A: “To create, whether it’s music or writing or voiceover or anything that I do, I have to be emotionally connected to the work in some way, shape, or form. I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, and sometimes something hits a little harder. Then I’ll be like, ‘Oh, I gotta learn that song, and I gotta cover it.’ I think one example of that was ‘Matilda’ by Harry Styles. When I heard that song for the first time, I was like, this really gives me the words to be able to say to somebody how the choices they make are okay, that they don’t have to have a great relationship with their family. It’s a song that, when I perform it at shows and stuff, it affects me emotionally. And a lot of that is theater training. You have to emotionally connect to the songs that you’re singing, for people to love them, or for you to have a great performance. That’s what I try to do with every song that I perform.”
Q: Do you have any future projects you are excited about?
A: “I’m working on an emo album, just emo covers of songs that are not emo songs. That’s really, really, really fun. There’s a full live album that’s already been recorded. It’s 10 songs and 10 stories from my life, starting in 1978 and going up to the present day. They’re all dated and interesting and funny stories. The other big project, which I’ve been on for three years, is an animated short film that I wrote that is being directed by Doug Sweden, who directed the ‘Storks’ movie that I did with Jennifer Aniston and Andy Sandberg. And some amazing, famous, wonderful people are doing voices in it.”
Q: What was your favorite role you’ve ever played?
A: “Big Time Rush is the thing that I love the most. Who I was or what my life was like before, to what my life was like after it, was different in every aspect. The only thing that stayed the same was my family and some of my friends. It was an intense period of change, but I mean it was amazing and so much fun. I loved the consistency of waking up every day and getting a script, running my lines, going to my dressing room, putting on whatever costume they put together for me that day, having breakfast with Logan and Kendall and the boys, and going on an adventure every week. Such a wonderful time. I miss it a great deal. I can’t wait till I get to do another show like that.”
Q: What advice would you give to someone who’s trying to be a performer but doesn’t know how to start?
A: “You have to search it out. Search out those places that you want to be. Work on your craft, make sure that when you do get the opportunity, you’re able to do the job right, and then also put yourself out there again and again and again and again. Just keep throwing yourself out in the world, and they’ll end up catching you and bringing you in for something great.”